Le Petit Chaperon Rouge: A Sirius Black Tale
by awkcordion
Summary: A young muggle woman thrust into the wizarding world finds company in the Marauders - especially the notorious flirt, Sirius Black - while totally unprepared for the battle they must all face. My 1st story, so please read and review! siriusxOC
1. Chapter 1

It is often difficult to begin a story, especially such an unlikely one as this. For this reason, the reader must take a leap of faith in accepting the events presented. Magic is something most people seem to outgrow, a reality as extinct as the last baby teeth and fairy tale books of childhood.

And so I will begin a tale of danger, love, and betrayal that happened to seep through into the life of a rather ordinary young woman, who led an ordinary life with _mostly_ ordinary people around her. However, let me affirm that this is not a tale of ordinary circumstances.

Charlotte Darby left work one evening with her characteristic eagerness. The young girl of a mere eighteen had returned to her hometown a proud student of art. Previously she had been a shy, misunderstood, imaginative child, cooped up in a dusty home with bickering parents. When the Darbys moved from Surrey, the last thing Charlotte expected was to return to a sad reawakening of her childhood. However, winning an art scholarship to the local school convinced her completely; it may also be mentioned that the displeasure of her parents only furthered the girl's motives to leave.

With a light bounce in her walk, she never cared to look back at the seedy pub she left behind. The mere existence of it plagued her very being, but she knew that it would be necessary for her planned savings. If she _would_ save anything, with _her_ spending habits. At ease, Charlotte crossed the street to get on the bus. Tonight, after several years, she would finally get to see her former best friend. Lily Evans. She wasn't really her _former_ best friend, but things could have changed for all she knew. It had been much too long a wait, since Charlotte couldn't even visit in the summers when she had the chance. Her domineering father would not have any extra spending on meaningless trips, and her mother certainly wouldn't allow a young girl travel so far. But now she had her chance.

However, this wasn't just a welcome party. This was an engagement party, and a casual one at that. Charlotte could hardly believe one of her childhood friends would be married already. The thought made her jittery, excited. The nervousness and anticipation was spreading to the upper corners of her face and down to the back of her knees, making it a physical as well as emotional feeling.

Arriving at old Mrs. Evans' door, Charlotte saw that nearly nothing had changed., from the lamp post to the chipping paint on the front door to the one patch of dirt that simply wouldn't allow the grass to cover it, even with Mr. Evans' multiple tries. Another guest promptly greeted her; a burly looking man with a jolly expression, a cousin perhaps. The small, informal gathering would be held in Lily's mother's home. It remained a small, tasteful home with little accents of lace and china here and there. It had not changed very much, despite the loss of Mr. Evans, and for such a long time, Lily. Mrs. Evans, old and plump, crouched over by a polished cabinet, taking out some table settings. Charlotte surprised her from behind, giving her a warm hug.

"Charlotte, darling, you gave me a good fright! Let me take a good look at you," the white-haired woman said in a voice as sweet as apple cider. She reached for Charlotte's shoulders, as if to size her up. "You have the same timid sweetness, but you have so much more grace and poise. The last time I saw you, you were about eleven or twelve…what a long time it's been…"

Charlotte smiled lovingly at the woman who treated her with so much respect when she was younger. "You are too kind, as usual. How is everything?"

"Oh, well all is as good as it can be. And now, with Lily, it seems like everything is slowly getting better. But sometimes I feel like time's going by too swiftly, without allowing you to have a breath," she sighed. "I can't believe it. You're all getting bigger and I seem to be getting smaller. I'm so happy you came, though."

Charlotte laughed before quietly asking, "Mrs. Evans, will Petunia be here?"

Mrs. Evans frowned. "You know, I'm not quite sure. She wasn't very direct in telling me whether or not she would. I don't really understand why, though. Lily's her sister, for goodness sake…but, ahh! What do I know?"

"That's a shame. Perhaps she'll change her mind. In fact, I'm sure of it!" she said with young optimism.

"I don't know. Petunia can be stubborn. It's mainly Vernon, I think. Perhaps he's not so used to unknown company…he did seem a little intimidated by James last time they met, which is what I was told, at least. You may be right, though…" continued Mrs. Evans, half-convinced.

A few people were already situated in the little parlor, presumably close friends and distant family members. Charlotte decided to help add the finishing touches, in dealing with the table settings and the cooking. She was always restless; maybe her recent job as a waitress was responsible. Mostly, though, it was a way to avoid talking to the people she didn't really know. In time, a little girl came up to her, her flaxen pigtails tied in mismatching plaid bows.

"Is there a telly? Or radio? I'm so booored," she complained, as any other seven or eight year old naturally would.

Charlotte looked around. A record player came into sight, located at a corner of the room. "No, but we can play some music. Come ahead now." The little girl trailed behind as Charlotte bent down to find records. Most of them were Christmas themed, to her dismay.

Finally, she spotted a decent one. "This'll do!" she exclaimed. The record was about ten years old, shown by the slightly dusty and browned sleeve. In contrast, the sound came out crisp and new. It had an upbeat, jovial rhythm, and a man's strong, throaty vocals. The party soon turned for the better.

Charlotte found herself interacting with the little girl, whom she later found out was called Susie. She playfully turned and twirled with her.

After a while, there was a knock on the door, around the time "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man" started playing. Everyone was quiet with a shared anticipation.

A young man slowly opened the door, leading the cluster of people behind him. As they came out of the darkness and into the room, their faces were illuminated enough for recognition. At that moment, Charlotte turned to see Lily and her to-be-husband, James Potter, accompanied by three other unfamiliar faces. They shook the snow off their coats, shivering slightly, but nonetheless beaming for the joyous occasion.


	2. Chapter 2

Lily's shock of red hair gave her right away. Charlotte stood in amazement; Lily had changed so much, yet retained her delicate features and kind green eyes. The change in her friend's appearance made Charlotte ponder at how much she herself had changed over the years. Would Lily remember her? In fact, it was Mrs. Evans that invited Charlotte as a surprise for Lily. Charlotte stepped back, as the recently arrived party greeted their guests. All she could do now was smile like a fool. Maybe she shouldn't have come, Charlotte thought. Perhaps Lily didn't really want her here. She was just part of the past, and now Lily would be busy celebrating the future.

Susie tugged at Charlotte's skirt, briefly interrupting Charlotte's self-pity and self-loathing. Lily had come to her at this point, and cried out, "Charlie! Oh, I can't believe it!"

She hugged Charlotte almost violently, and the two kept the embrace until Charlotte—with her face buried in Lily's hair—murmured, "So you remember me then?"

Lily laughed. "Of course! How could I not? You haven't changed a bit, Charlie, have you? And now I bet you're a big-time artist, and don't tell me otherwise!"

"Well, that's me. Same old. But no, I'm hardly famous. I'm just a penniless artist at this point," she laughed. "I'm studying at the Institute now, you know…"

Lily smiled. "Then I'll be seeing you often. This is hardly Paris, I'm sure…but this is such good news. Charlie, I want you to meet James."

Lily pulled James playfully toward Charlotte. They looked like a happy, old married couple already, Charlotte observed.

"Hello Charlotte. It's nice to finally meet you," James said politely, shaking her hand. The careful words seemed to contradict the mischievous, boyish look on James' face. A thin, tall young man he was, with unkempt black hair that stuck up in the back. Lily looked so incredibly impressed by his manners.

"Don't fall for the act, I say!" said another young man quite dramatically, with an equally mischievous look on his face. This one had long, black hair that gave him the look of an old aristocratic swordsman, right out of a seventeenth-century adventure.

He came over, putting his hand on James' shoulder. "Well, I guess that means I should introduce myself. I go by Sirius, and these two are Remus and Peter."

_Sirius_, she thought. _What a curious name._

Another man grimaced. "You know, Sirius, I can speak for myself, thank you very much."

He came over by Sirius, nodding his head as a hello to Charlotte, rather shyly. "I'm Remus. It's nice to meet you," he said, and gesturing to Sirius. " I'm sorry about this headcase."

Sirius scowled at Remus. Teasing each other so, they looked just like brothers.

A smaller, rounder young man walked towards the rest of the group slowly. Sirius noticed his hesitance, and suggested, "Why don't you introduce yourself, Wormtail?"

Charlotte felt bad for this one, thinking that Sirius insulted him with that nickname. She brought out her hand. "Hello, nice to meet you. I'm Charlotte."

He smirked, revealing buck teeth. His pointed nose and watery eyes gave him a mousy appearance. Finally, he chirped, "Hello, I'm Peter. Nice to meet you, too." His grasp was weak.

After introductions, everyone settled in the dining room, all seated comfortably. Mrs. Evans brought out the roast and the steamed potatoes, proudly placing them on her best dishes. Lily insisted on aiding her mother, and would not allow anyone else to pitch in. The smell emanating from the center of the oval table was of great interest to everyone seated.

"I'm famished, so go on, eat!" said Mrs. Evans, after grabbing a chair. The food was simply devoured in a relatively short period of time, with short breaks in-between for discussion. By the time dessert came, everyone felt stuffed and found it appropriate to talk.

Lily began, "Mother, thank you so much. The dinner was simply wonderful. You're brilliant." Her mother shrugged off the compliment, adamant that it wasn't _that _good. Lily smiled across the table at James; they were incredibly excited, it was quite obvious. Sirius ogled at what he must have perceived to be absolute mush, amused at the chemistry between his two close friends.

"So, Charlie, you're an artist? What constitutes that, exactly?" Sirius asked abruptly.

Charlotte, busy playing with her food, didn't realize at first that the question was aimed at her. "Oh, erm, well I'm studying at this point. Mostly art history, though. That's what interests me. And I'm also taking some courses on developmental drawing, painting techniques, and the like. My favorite's illustrating."

"That's awfully interesting," said one. Charlotte forgot the name of this person.

"Yes, well it certainly is. I presume you're good…" Sirius suggested.

Charlotte laughed nervously. "I don't know, I hope so." She would never admit to such a thing. Anyone that knew her was well aware of her self-doubt. Or was it modesty? Even she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

The table was then quiet for a few minutes. Charlotte thought that her clumsiness in conversation was spreading.

_Oh God, I hate small talk,_ thought Charlotte. _I'm so bad at it._

All of a sudden, Susie exclaimed, "I can draw, too!" She held up her napkin, which had a picture of a ghoul, painted with cranberry sauce. The pigtailed girl was quite proud. Her father nudged at her.

The table erupted in giggles, allowing Charlotte to take a breath.


End file.
